Human rights organization Amnesty International has opposed FIFA’s designation of Saudi Arabia to host the next Club World Cup in 2023, the Asian country’s 12th cleanup, according to a statement.
The entity, in the words of the Director of the Economic and Social Justice Program, Steve Cockburn, stated the following:
FIFA again ignored Saudi Arabia’s appalling human rights record. Shortly after tourism company Visit Saudi landed sponsorship of the Women’s World Cup, it announced the country would host the 2023 Club World Cup without regard to freedom of expression, discrimination or labor rights.
This international amnesty decision thus confirms that “FIFA again rejects its own human rights policy and participates in a blatant cultivation of the image of sport”.
“In recent months, the Saudi authorities have stepped up their crackdown on freedom of expression and sentenced people to prison terms ranging from 10 to 45 years simply for expressing themselves peacefully on the internet,” Cockburn recalled.
Authorities continue to execute people for a variety of crimes. Last year, 81 people were sentenced to death in one day, many of whom were tried in extremely unfair trials.
Criticism also came from this organization that, despite FIFA announcing revenues of almost seven billion euros in the period 2019-2022, they could not reach agreement on the Compensation Fund for Migrant Workers in Qatar.
The Guardian newspaper has since estimated the death toll at six and a half thousand. Saudi Arabia said there were at least 400.
Like Qatar, host of the 2022 World Cup, Saudi Arabia has been criticized by human rights groups and accused of trying to improve its image by hosting major sporting events.
The Asian country is also said to be interested in hosting the 2030 World Cup alongside Greece and Egypt, rivaling the joint candidacies of Spain, Portugal and Ukraine, as well as Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina and Chile.
(With information from Europa Press)
Source: La Neta Neta
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
